


Problematic Parental Pow-Wow

by Rosie2009



Series: Descendants Fanfiction [6]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), Disney - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:48:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25946839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosie2009/pseuds/Rosie2009
Summary: Adam and Belle want to talk with their Ben’s new girlfriend alone. So naturally, Mal enlists Evie’s help to assist her in what will most assuredly be a horribly awkward situation. Some Bal, slight Core Four feels, and mostly Mal and Evie friendship feels.
Relationships: Adam & Belle & Ben (Disney: Descendants), Adam & Mal (Disney), Adam/Belle (Disney), Belle & Mal (Disney), Ben/Mal (Disney: Descendants), Evie & Carlos de Vil, Evie & Jay & Mal & Carlos de Vil, Evie & Jay (Disney), Evie & Mal (Disney), Jay & Carlos De Vil, Jay & Mal (Disney), Mal & Carlos de Vil
Series: Descendants Fanfiction [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1252532
Kudos: 38





	Problematic Parental Pow-Wow

Mal stormed into her and Evie’s dorm, groaning deeply. Evie looked up from her position reading a book on the bed as Mal hurried over to her. Evie just stayed silent, watching the girl as Mal flopped down beside Evie face-first.

Mal groaned again as she closed her eyes, burying her face in the mattress. Before she knew it, Evie’s fingers were combing through her hair gently, and she felt Evie’s presence much closer than it was just a moment ago.

Currently, Mal was having a horrible, no good, very bad day. And it was all thanks to Belle and Adam. Since Ben and Mal had begun to start dating, they wanted to have an opportunity to talk with Mal about her and her relationship with Ben.

So, as a result, Mal was scared, irritated, and in an overall very nervous mood.

They were quiet for a long time before Evie spoke up finally.

“What happened?” Evie questioned, and Mal just grumbled something that even Mal herself didn’t expect to make sense. Mal could hear Evie’s slight sigh.

“Can I possibly hear that in English?” Evie asked patiently, and Mal turned her face to the side, moving her face so that her nose was now crunched against the side of Evie’s leg.

“It’s horrible,” Mal told her, and Evie’s fingers stroked the skin along the side of Mal’s head before they retreated back into Mal’s hair.

“What’s horrible?”

“Beast-Man and Ring-My-Bell want to see me,” Mal informed Evie, and Evie snorted at Mal’s names. Of course, they weren’t new. Mal had been referring to Ben’s parents that way since they moved to Auradon. It was definitely not something she said in front of Ben, but when it was just her and one of the Core Four, she let loose.

“Any idea why?” Evie questioned, and Mal squirmed closer to Evie, writhing about until her head was on Evie’s lap and she was looking up into Evie’s face upside-down. Evie’s eyebrow was raised, and the smallest hint of a smile was pulling at the corners of her lips.

“They’ve invited me to a grilling session at this restaurant,” Mal started, and Evie nodded easily as she considered the words.

“An appropriate place to do it,” Evie acknowledged, and Mal allowed herself a laugh.

“Yeah, tell me about it. But they want to find out if I’m worthy to date Ben, E!” Mal proclaimed, exposing the ultimate issue that she was experiencing with this entire ordeal. Evie’s smile disappeared as her warm, loving brown eyes locked with Mal’s green ones.

“Did they say it like that?” Evie questioned worriedly, all hints of joking gone, and Mal shook her head with a sigh, enjoying the way Evie was stroking her head.

“No, but that was the implication. Y’know, since they wanted to talk to me _alone_ ,” Mal emphasized the last word, and Evie just smiled lovingly at Mal as her eyes glowed with adoration.

“Of course you’re worthy to date Ben, M. He’s the one that’s not worthy to date you,” Evie told Mal cutely with a wink but also with plenty of seriousness in the undertones of her voice.

“I know that, but they don’t seem to see things that way,” Mal expressed, and Evie just smiled gently.

“Especially Beast-Man. That dude’s like the worst! I don’t think he fully transformed from Beast mode or something because he’s a serious hard nose,” Mal complained and Evie laughed at the girl.

“I don’t think he’s quite that bad…”

“Oh, Beast-Man’s terrible! He’s big like a beast, ugly like a beast, mean like a beast, and he’s even hairy like a beast, which is seriously gross, by the way,” Mal insulted, and Evie couldn’t help but crack up laughing at Mal’s description.

“Maybe so, but please remember not to call him Beast-Man when you go, okay?” Evie instructed with only a hint of worry in her voice.

“Oh, please, E. I’ll be fine. Although, I slipped up and almost called him that in front of Ben the other day, which would’ve been a bit bad,” Mal admitted, and Evie rolled her eyes at the girl.

“In front of Ben’s a bit bad, but in front of Beast himself would be a nightmare,” Evie expressed, and Mal shrugged noncommittally, closing her eyes as she enjoyed Evie’s hand stroking her head.

“So, what are you going to do?” Evie asked after a moment, and Mal

“Well,” Mal held out the “l” in the word as she studied Evie carefully. Evie furrowed her brow, tilting her head as she looked at Mal inquisitively.

“I was thinking that maybe you could come with me,” Mal told Evie, and Evie shook her head sympathetically.

“Mal, I can’t possibly go with you. That’d be weird.”

“It wouldn’t! You’re my best friend and my family, so it wouldn’t be weird at all!” Mal assured her, grabbing Evie’s wrist in her hand gently as she stopped Evie’s hand from moving. Evie huffed fondly.

“I know that, silly, but I meant weird because they want to talk to you alone,” Evie informed her, and Mal groaned.

“But I need you, E… I don’t have a clue what to say. I won’t have a clue what to say. And you’re so good at this stuff!” Mal whined a bit, squeezing Evie’s wrist affectionately. Evie pursed her lips in thought as she considered Mal’s plight.

After several long moments, Evie suddenly looked as if she had a lightbulb moment. Mal gazed at her hopefully, knowing her best friend would be able to help.

“I think I’ve got an idea…”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

It was the next day, and Mal was currently leaning against the wall of the outside part of the restaurant as she waited on Evie to tell her it was alright to come in. Mal was just trying to keep herself together, and she was sort of panicking at this moment.

“ _Hey, I’m in position, and you’re good to go_ ,” Evie spoke into Mal’s ear, and Mal jumped a little bit as she communicated through the earpiece. Mal brought her hand up to the technology, adjusting it a bit as she listened to Evie.

Evie’s idea had involved getting Carlos to lend them two earpieces so they could communicate with one another. That way, Evie could tell Mal everything that she needed to say without Belle and Adam being any the wiser to it.

“Alright… Are you sure we couldn’t just not go and say we did?” Mal questioned hopefully and Evie huffed in affectionate exasperation.

“ _M, you’ll be fine. I promise. I’m here for you every step of the way_.”

“Are you sure?”

“ _C’mon, M. Do you know me at all?_ ” Evie questioned playfully, and Mal chuckled a bit as she headed into the restaurant. She immediately spotted the hulking form of Adam and the slightest hint of yellow on the other side of him that easily showed her that Belle was right there with him.

“Wish me luck,” Mal spoke lowly as she shut the door behind her. She swiftly caught sight of Evie sitting in a booth across from the two parents. To her happiness, Evie was looking at her with a loving smile.

“ _You won’t need luck. You’ve got me in your ear_ ,” Evie assured her warmly, and Mal nodded slightly, swallowing hard as she tried to gather every bit of confidence that she possessed.

She then walked over to the couple.

As soon as she was nearby, Adam seemed to catch sight of her and he visibly hardened as he looked at her, forcing something that was more like a grimace than anything onto his face. Belle leaned around him and smiled at Mal.

“Hello, Mal!” Belle welcomed her, and Mal forced a smile.

“Hi,” Mal awkwardly greeted the two there before her, and waving at them somewhat stiffly.

She knew she had just got there, but she almost wanted to make some excuse like she had to go to the bathroom, and that’d be when she just subtly escaped from the place.

But Mal knew she had to do this. At least for the temporary, she knew she wanted to date Ben, despite the fact that she hadn’t known him for very long. And this was one of the steps that it was going to take to get to being able to date him.

But it was truly one of the most awkward situations that she had ever been in.

“ _I couldn’t hear anything they just said, M. But don’t worry, I’m really good at lip-reading_ ,” Evie’s voice came over the earpiece, and Mal sighed deeply, mentally slapping her forehead as she questioned how good Evie actually was at the skill.

“Why don’t you sit down?” Belle offered, and Mal nodded, following the instructions quickly as she sat down in the chair across from Ben’s parents. Mal sat down, and she could hear Evie’s gentle, quiet humming in her ear. Mal almost wanted to smile, feeling some of her fear dissipate at the calming sound of Evie’s naturally deeper voice. Evie must have been able to sense Mal’s fear.

“So, how do you do?” Belle asked, ever the peaceable sort, and Mal nodded easily, about to answer the one thing in this conversation that she was one hundred percent sure that she would actually be able to answer.

“ _Did she just say how do you poo?! That’s disturbing and rude!_ ” Evie questioned in surprise, and Mal almost snorted, knowing that definitely wasn’t what Belle had said. Evie was obviously not good at lip-reading in the least.

“I’m doing well,” Mal replied to her somewhat stiffly, trying to keep her nervous laughter inside since she knew that likely wouldn’t look good.

“ _Ask them how they are_ ,” Evie told her, obviously picking up on the real question that had been asked.

“How are you guys?” Mal questioned, and Belle seemed pleasantly surprised by the question.

“Oh, well, we’re doing quite fine,” Belle replied with a smile, and Mal grinned a bit in reply as an awkward pause fell upon them.

For a moment, they just sat there in silence, the entire meeting not going as swimmingly as they could’ve hoped. And they had only gotten through less than five minutes of the ordeal.

“Alright, enough small talk. Let’s discuss the important things,” Adam interrupted, and looked at Belle, cuing her to ask the first question. Belle sighed deeply, seeming as if she’d honestly rather do anything else than begin what would likely be a serious grilling.

“So, Mal, how do you feel about our son?” Belle questioned after a moment, offering that stiff yet kind smile that somehow reminded Mal of Ben. Ben was just a bit looser than his mother. Of course, that was not saying much considering how painfully proper the entire royal family was.

“Um… How do I feel about your son? Well,” Mal started, waiting on Evie to tell her what to say.

“ _Tell them I like it, but he’s going to need to make it a little cheaper_ ,” Evie spoke, her voice a little distant, but Mal copied her words perfectly.

“I like it, but he’s going to need to make it a little cheaper,” Mal spoke, but froze as she realized precisely what she repeated. Both Adam and Belle gaped at her in horror.

“Don’t you mean him?” Belle started, and Adam lowered his glasses, his mouth agape.

“Cheaper?” he questioned. Mal’s eyes widened, and she happened to realize that she had a menu there before her. She grabbed it quickly and saw a section of it called “Chef’s Specials.”

“Oh, no, I meant the Chef’s specials here. They want a ridiculous amount for some spaghetti that I could probably make at home,” Mal expressed, laughing a bit as she tried to cover her mistake. They seemed immediately less weirded out, but they were still a little on-guard if their expression were anything to go by.

“ _So, what are they saying? Or can you talk right now?_ ” Evie questioned, and Mal held the menu up, hiding her face behind it as she pretended to read the options before her. She immediately began telling her tale to her sister.

“I just said that I like it--- not even the proper pronoun ‘him’---”

“ _Ooh, look who’s been paying attention in ELA_ ,” Evie spoke, sounding very pleased indeed, and Mal rolled her eyes as she continued explaining her predicament.

“And then I said he’s going to have to make it a little cheaper!” Mal told Evie, and Evie gasped in horror.

“ _Oh, my gosh, that’s terrible! Why would you say that?!_ ”

“Because you said it!”

“ _Oh… I was talking about the spaghetti on the Chef’s specials menu!_ ” Evie told her, and Mal rolled her eyes, unable to help feeling some fondness in the midst of her intense irritation. It was sometimes purely uncanny just how similarly her and Evie occasionally thought.

“So?” Belle asked after a few moments, and Mal looked up from behind her convenient hiding place, coming back into focus as she paid attention to the two before her.

“Huh?”

“How do you feel about our son?” Adam asked, pressing the question as he gazed at Mal. There was not a single hint of mercifulness in his features and seemed just as intimidating, stoic, and frightening as usual.

There was a point in time that Mal would have easily been ready to punch him in the face for even remotely looking at her that way. But that was the Isle version of Mal. Now that they were all in Auradon, Mal had to watch herself carefully and make sure she didn’t screw things up and send her most treasured people back to the hole that they had finally managed to emerge from.

“Oh, yes! How do I feel about your son? Well, he’s,” Mal trailed off, pretending that she was off in thought and trying to think of how to describe it when she was really cluing Evie in on the question. She mentally begged Evie to hurry up with the right words to say because Mal truthfully felt as if she were quite close to the two just quitting the meeting altogether.

“ _Tell them that you love him_ ,” Evie instructed, and Mal’s eyes almost went wide before she gained greater control over herself. Under her breath, she made a negating noise.

“ _Tell them, M_ ,” Evie commanded somewhat firmly from the earpiece.

“Uh-uh,” Mal lowly expressed as she tried to look deep in thought to disguise the fact that she was actually secretly communicating with Evie.

“Mal _, butter them up! It’s the best way to go!_ ” Evie informed her, and Mal held back the impending groan as she shaped up, offering a wide and completely fake smile as she finally met the pair’s eyes again.

“I really like---”

“ _Love!_ ” Evie corrected.

“Love your son!” Mal somewhat too breezily expressed, and she could hear Evie’s groan.

“ _With more feeling!_ ” Evie instructed.

“I really do love your son,” Mal added to her previous statement, and remarkably, they weren’t looking at her like she was nuts and were rather looking at her curiously, obviously wondering what she’d say next.

“ _You’re certainly not going to win any Oscars any time soon_ ,” Evie muttered to herself, and Mal growled under her breath as she listened to Evie. However, she didn’t have time to dwell on Evie’s subtle sass.

“Your son… He’s,” Mal started, sincerely hoping that Evie would catch onto the need for words. Evie immediately caught onto Mal’s cue, and Evie started.

“ _Okay, M, his smile’s like a warm summer’s day!_ ”

“His smile’s like a warm summer’s day…”

“ _And his heart has the greatest of glows!_ ” Evie added, her mouth sounding just the slightest bit full before she made a muffled spitting sound.

“His heart has the greatest of glows,” Mal continued, making a mental note to tease Evie about her ridiculously large amount of silly meaningless prose.

“ _And, man, is that some hot sauce!_ ” Evie suddenly proclaimed before gulping what sounded like water very quickly.

“And, man, is that some hot sauce,” Mal mindlessly repeated before her eyes widened, realizing precisely the horrible implications of that statement. Adam was gaping at her, those hardened eyes completely shocked at her words, and Belle almost looked ready to faint as she clutched at her husband’s bicep.

“Y’know, that stuff they use here, of course!” Mal piped up, grabbing the container of sauce as she held it up for them to see. Both of their stares homed in on the sauce in Mal’s hand and Mal knew she was quickly going to have to change the subject. She laughed a bit, looking around awkwardly before sitting the sauce down at the table.

“ _Whoo! Oh, gosh, my mouth’s burning!_ ” Evie proclaimed as she kept guzzling water, and Mal sighed under her breath as she tried to keep from either laughing at Evie’s emphatic announcements or out of her horrible embarrassment.

Mal risked a glanced behind her, and she swiftly spotted Evie behind them all and fanning her mouth while gulping down ridiculously large amounts of water. Mal then returned her gaze to Ben’s parents, swallowing as she tried to look as casual as possible.

“Well, we’re glad that you care so much about our son… Umm,” Belle trailed off, trying to keep positive and think of good things to continue this already horrendously awkward conversation. Mal cleared her throat, truly feeling the older woman’s pain in the situation.

“You have a very interesting way of expressing your feelings toward him,” Adam commented, and Mal swallowed, knowing that she had so far only made a huge mess of things. Mal just nodded in reply and didn’t really have any idea of what to say in reply to him.

“But anyway. Tell us about yourself, Mal,” Adam spoke up, and Mal felt almost as if she were being threatened as his voice took an authoritative tone. Mal’s expression must have reflected this because Belle shot him a disapproving glance. He never even looked at his wife once, keeping his eyes focused on Mal instead.

“Oh… About me… Well, I’m,” Mal started, and quietly listened for Evie’s soothing voice sounding off in her ear. But to her shock, Evie didn’t say a word. In fact, there was dead silence in her ear. Not even the previous background sound that had been droning along.

Mal once again looked back at Evie, and Evie was gesturing furiously between the earpiece and her glass of water. Mal couldn’t help it as her eyes went wide, almost completely panicking.

Mal was by herself. Evie was no longer able to help her through this.

Belle and Adam furrowed their brows and craned their necks, trying to figure out who or what that Mal was staring at, and Mal started to speak. She had to throw them off track so they wouldn’t find out that Evie was there.

“But what I am! I’m,” Mal tried desperately to think of something impressive to say, and she found that she was completely drawing a blank on fanciful, made-up things to say.

So as she found that she was completely out of places to turn, facts to fabricate, and ideas to use, Mal realized that she was going to have to tell the truth.

Mal sighed deeply.

“I’m a sixteen-year-old girl,” Mal swallowed, trying to think of something else to say. They were looking at her now, their eyes solely focused upon her, and she very much felt put on the spot. She knew that she needed to think of something fast. She sighed deeply and she continued.

“One of my many hobbies is art. I love to paint, draw, you name it. Just ask Evie. I’ve covered our whole dorm in stuff I’ve painted,” Mal chuckled a bit, both attempting to relieve the tension and thinking of Evie’s shock at the time that the bluenette woke up with Mal balancing on Evie’s bed in an attempt to reach the ceiling.

“Umm… I like to study history in school. It’s my favorite subject besides art… I guess it’s just… I guess it’s because I like to know where we’ve been to know where we’re all coming from,” Mal explained herself, worried that she wouldn’t make any sense. However, Adam’s gaze was unreadable while Belle seemed much more softened. Mal could feel the prickling of sweat at her neck as she tried to keep her nerve under this unbearable pressure.

“And I… I really care about my family. Evie, Carlos, and Jay. They’re the reason I’m here today. They’ve saved me in so many ways,” Mal admitted, feeling exceedingly raw and naked by saying it, but also feeling a surge of power within herself as she considered all the things she had been through with her three most treasured people.

However, they were still very much staring at her, and Mal was very worried. She knew she was going to have to bring this to a close since she didn’t know what else to talk about. She had no idea what to do, but she went to the last topic that she could possibly think to cover.

“And I really like your son. He’s… the best guy I’ve ever known besides my brothers,” Mal confessed to them, trying to say what she felt about Ben despite the fact that she almost felt like puking as a result of her overwhelming nervousness.

They just looked at her quietly for a long moment, and Mal cleared her throat, her gaze shifting around before settling back on them again.

“Uh… And I guess that’s about it?” Mal finished, her statement sounding more like a question as she uncertainly finished her monologue.

There were several long moments of silence, and Mal averted her eyes to the menu on the table before her. Mal knew she had officially blown whatever opportunity she had to keep her friends in Auradon and keep Ben as her boyfriend.

They sat there quietly, before Mal was suddenly assaulted with the smell of Evie’s perfume, and she immediately knew her best friend was close by. To her complete shock, there was suddenly a girl with hair pulled back in a tight bun and wearing one of the waitress’ hats on her head, her face caked in a ridiculously large amount of makeup with an exceedingly pale face.

Mal could easily tell it was Evie, but only because Mal recognized Evie’s every little mannerism so well that she didn’t even have to see her face to know who it was.

“Hello, hello! Are we doing alright over here?!” the girl spoke in a horrible British accent, and Mal immediately realized that Evie had obviously went into disguise mode. Mal really wanted to facepalm at Evie’s ridiculousness, but she controlled the urge.

“Yes… Umm… do I know you? I think I’ve seen you before,” Adam questioned, furrowing his brow as he studied Evie. Evie laughed, and Mal couldn’t help but note it sounded quite silly.

“Oh, no! Of course not! Not unless you know an Elizabeth, your majesty! Because I’m Elizabeth,” Evie introduced, and Mal just watched the girl curiously with a raised brow.

“So how are you doing? You need anything? Oh, and who is this adorable little muffin?!” Evie questioned as she bent down, looking at Mal and booping her on the nose.

“Perhaps a future daughter-in-law?” Evie questioned hopefully, and Mal pinched Evie’s leg underneath the table, signaling her to stop trying so hard to help. Evie made a little squeak before shooting a glance in Mal’s direction. However, she quickly recovered, flashing the largest of smiles.

Belle just sort of laughed in response to “Elizabeth,” and largely just looked exceedingly weirded out. Mal looked up at Evie and she sighed slightly.

“Because I believe you two have a son, if I may be so bold?” Evie questioned respectfully, that British accent affecting her every word.

“Yes, that’s correct,” Adam replied stiffly, uncertain where the girl was going with this, and Evie laughed as she placed a hand on her chest.

“Oh, how wonderful! I was wondering who that young teen was that always hangs out with you two. It’s good to hear that’s your son. You see, I am quite new here. I just immigrated from Britain-ville,” Evie spoke, and Mal sighed deeply as she closed her eyes in humiliation for Evie.

“But anyways! You’re Mal, right?” Mal nodded in reply, playing along, and Evie gasped. “Oh, my goodness, you’re even more beautiful in real life! And you have the most stunning best friend! Her name’s Evie, right? She’s absolutely the best designer ever, and a practical fashion genius!” Evie gushed, and Mal raised an eyebrow.

“She’s a wonderful designer, alright. A little conceited sometimes, but a wonderful designer,” Mal replied, and Evie shot Mal a glance that was somewhere between appreciative and offended.

“But anyways! You should definitely consider this girl as a match for your baby boy! She looks so trustworthy, so kind, so funny! And just look at the chubby cheeks!” Evie cooed as she grabbed Mal’s cheeks in her fingers.

Mal held back the groan, allowing Evie to do as she wished with Mal’s face.

“If you don’t mind me asking, just how do you know this?” Belle questioned politely, and Evie giggled as she patted Mal’s cheek.

“I’m usually a good judge of character,” Evie assured them with a smile. However, the grin quickly faded as she spotted the manager with a waitress that didn’t have a hat that was pointing at Evie. Evie looked at Mal, Adam, and Belle as she waved and started to walk off.

“Umm… Nice talking to all of you, but I’ve got to go! You know! Nature calls!” Evie told them before doing that signature hurry-walk for which she was so infamous. Mal could immediately see that Evie needed help, and she looked at Adam and Belle sweetly.

“If you’ll excuse me… I’ve got to go. I think Elizabeth needs help, and I’m going to go see if she needs help getting home. She looks a bit intoxicated,” Mal told them, trying to cover up Evie’s weirdness as simply being under the influence of alcohol as she started to get up, gathering her things. “I’m so sorry to leave on such short notice…”

“Oh, we understand. You go and help… our new friend,” Belle spoke kindly. Mal nodded with a smile before hurrying over to Evie. She grabbed the girl’s hand before she could do anything and she took the hat off Evie’s head, throwing it at the manager and the waitress before hurrying Evie out the door.

“Did I help?” Evie questioned in a whisper, still speaking in that British accent, and Mal rolled her eyes as she leaned against Evie, locking arms with her.

“Well, you got me out of having to stay and eat with them, so I think you certainly helped in one way or another,” Mal assured her. Evie furrowed her brow as she looked at Mal.

“But did I help with impressing them?” Evie questioned, her voice still affected.

“Not really. And stop talking like that,” Mal commanded as she looked behind her, making sure no one was following them.

“I rather like talking like this,” Evie assured Mal in her British accent, and Mal sighed as she released a bit of the tension in her shoulders as they had fully escaped the restaurant. Mal just looked at Evie fondly as she allowed herself to relax. She leaned her head against Evie’s shoulder as they walked along.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin things for you,” Evie expressed, her normal voice returning, as she tightened her grip around Mal’s arm and Mal shook her head.

“No, you didn’t ruin things, E. The whole thing was just a giant screwup that was all my fault. So don’t worry. I really appreciated your help,” Mal expressed, and Evie nodded somewhat sadly, resting her head against Mal’s as she slipped her arm from Mal’s to instead wrap around Mal’s waist.

It had been a disaster, but at least Mal still had Evie. That was the most important thing.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Do you think everything will be alright, E?” Mal questioned as she hurried down the hall, talking to Evie via her smartphone as she made her way to the library where Belle and Adam had wanted to meet her and Ben. Ben had texted her and told her that he was there already.

They hadn’t offered her any details outside of the fact that it was about the time they had spent together in the restaurant the other day, and that idea alone scared Mal senseless. After all, she had done a lot of fumbling on that outing.

“I’m sure so, M. But if it isn’t, that’ll be okay, too. You’ve got me, Jay, and Carlos,” Evie assured her, and Mal couldn’t help but smile a bit.

“I know. And that means the world to me. I just… I kind of hoped to have both you guys and date Ben, too, I guess,” Mal expressed, and she could almost see Evie’s sympathetic expression.

“It’s okay. It’ll be alright. You call me back as soon as you get the news, and come straight home, okay? I’ll be sitting here waiting with open arms,” Evie expressed, and Mal smiled at her sister, feeling her heart swell with Evie’s words.

But it was soon replaced with cold fear and a firm knot in her stomach as she came to the library door. She swallowed hard.

“I’m here. I love you, Evie,” Mal told her, and Evie made a kiss noise somewhat playfully, and Mal chuckled lightly.

“I love you, too, Mal. Remember what I said, alright?” Evie replied, and Mal hummed in response before they exchanged goodbyes and hung up the phone.

Mal took a deep breath, letting it out before opening the door and coming in. Ben was laughing with his father, but as soon as Mal entered, the room lost its levity in favor of a more somber atmosphere.

Ben offered his hand to her, and she wasted no time in taking it, coming to his side as she looked at the two adults before them.

Belle and Adam shared a glance before Adam nodded resolutely and returned his stare to Mal and Ben.

“We called you here to talk to both of you,” Adam began, and Mal held her breath, very worried about the outcome of their apparent assessment of her. Ben’s warm arm was around her reassuringly, and Mal sighed deeply as she let the breath she was holding go, deciding that it ultimately did not matter that much. Whatever the outcome was, she’d be perfectly fine.

“You’re certainly… unconventional, Mal,” Adam told her, and Mal sighed, expecting this fully and not saying anything in defense of herself. Ben furrowed his brow, and Mal felt him stiffen a bit as he automatically came to Mal’s defense.

“Wait a minute, Dad. You just have to give her a chance to---”

“But with that being said, we appreciated your honesty with us, Mal. And I personally think that Ben’s made a wonderful choice in girlfriends,” Belle complimented Mal, her voice filled with warmth. Mal looked up at the woman in shock, and to her utter surprise, Belle was actually smiling at her softly. Ben immediately shut his mouth, looking at his parents incredulously.

Mal returned the grin tentatively before very slowly and hesitantly looking at Adam. His face was still very much guarded and hardened, but there was the smallest release in his posture that told Mal her words had somewhat loosened his iron feelings toward her.

“You two can see each other,” he permitted, and Mal grinned widely as she looked at Ben who was standing there next to her. His arm tightened around her waist, and she couldn’t help but giggle gleefully.

She immediately thought of Evie and how the bluenette had thought that they were calling her to get rejected, and she knew that she needed to share the news with Evie.

“Thank you both so much, and I appreciate it so much,” Mal expressed happily as she shook her head in disbelief and joy. “I’ve got to go and tell Evie! I’ll see you later, Ben,” Mal kissed the boy’s cheek and then hurried toward the door.

“Oh, and tell her that the next time we see her, we expect to hear that impressive British accent,” Adam expressed, and Mal froze quickly as she looked back at the three behind her. Adam offered her a somewhat sly smile, and Mal grinned a bit in return before stepping out into the hall and running to go find Evie.

Ol’ Beast-Man wasn’t quite as bad as Mal thought, after all.


End file.
